Method of cubino hat



Rama May is, 1936 UNITED STATES lac-:1

PATENT OFFICE mrrrion or come. HAY

Everett]; Onahman. San Joaeycalifu aasignorto Food Machinery Corporation, San Jose, Calif.,

a corporation of Delaware N Drawing. Original No. 1,8163, dated Allgust 4, 1931. Serial No. 227,866, October 21,

1927. Serial No. 27,123

Application for reissue June 17, 1935,

SClaiins. (ulna-iii been the practice to dry or cure the alfalfa by cutting with a grass mower and allowing the alfalfa to lay for a day or two to dry. This alfalfa is then raked into windrows or piles, allowed to still further dry for from some four to six days. If no dew or rain touches the alfalfa during this drying out period, most of the plant will dry or cure to a desired green color. However, in most parts of the United States there is usually enough dew or rain in combination with the sun which will cause bleaching of the alfalfa during the drying. period. This bleaching may not materially affect the food value for the stock, yet it does materially affect its market value and renders the alfalfa almost useless for rabbit feed, etc.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a method for quickly drying the alfalfa, im mediately after cutting to eliminate all possibility of bleaching due to rain and sun, and also to preserve or restore the deep fresh green color of the alfalfa. I preferably carry out this novel method to obtain the novel result by first cut ting the alfalfa in the usual way and while it is still fresh and green. This fresh, green alfalfa is then passed through suitable rollers, or some form of a crusher adapted to break down the cells containing the juice or sap. This crushing may be accomplished by merely passing the green fresh alfalfa between suitable resilient or fixed rollers, and it will be obvious that any form of apparatus may beused which will roll or crush 'the alfalfa to an extentlfisufdcient to break down the cells of the liberate the juice or The Juice of the alfalfa is of a bright green color substantially the same as the plant, and as the plant is crushed the juice from the more tender portions of the'plant acts as a dye to any other parts of the plants that should not be of the same bright green color, particularly the stems, and this juice thus restores the entire as when young.

the saturation of the same with the Juice from,

it greatly accelerates the drying of the alfalfa. As the plants are crushed the juice or sap of the plant, instead of being sealed up in the cells of the plant, is forced to the outside of the plant and exposed to the air. This allows the plant to 5 dryin a much shorter time, and it has been found that alfalfa crushed according to my method has dried in from twelve to eighteen hours, showing no signs of bleaching. regardless of the weather encountered during this short drying out. A 1 further direct advantage of this crushing and quick drying is that the alfalfa cured in this manner seems to retain its fragrance much better 1 than alfalfa cured as has been the common practlce. Another beneficial result of this new method 15 is that the leaves of the alfalfa do not shatter oil as badly. v

It will thus be seen that I have provided a novel, quick and very inexpensive method for accelerating curing of alfalfa hay, and which method, 20 due to the inherent step of crushing the alfalfa,

. not only accelerates the drying to prevent bleaching, but also eifects dyeing of the older or lighter parts of the plant whereby the entire crushed plant is given a bright green color which simu- 25 lates exactly the fresh green color of the alfalfa before it is out.

It is believed that this accelerating of the curing or drying of the alfalfa not only prevents bleaching but also retains a greater percentage 0 of food value in the plants than when the plant is subjected to a long drying period.

It will be obvious that the degree of crushing .applied to the alfalfa plants can be varied con-' siderably according to the quality and condition 35 of the plant at the time of cutting, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. It will alsobe obvious that the drying out or curing of the alfalfa hay after being crushed according to my process may vary considerably, according to the 40 climatic conditions and quality of the plant, and it will be understood that such alfalfa hay, cured according to my method, 'may in less than the twelve hours or in more time than eighteen hours and still dry much quicker and' with better re- 5 suits than the present method of alfalfa,

which takes from four to six days.

What I claim is:

1. The method of curing hay such as alfalfa 5 comprising the steps of reaping, then immediately passing the freshly reaped plants in their whole condition through crushing rolls to crush said plants through substantially their whole length I to distribute the juices of the plant cells thereover, 5

then spreading said crushed plants upon the atmospheric curing andthen gathering the dried ground for sun or atmospheric curing and then h m 1 gathering t dried plants. t'ltlhe method 01' curing my sugh as altalltia 2. The method or curin hay such as alfalfa or an e me amusing the P5 cutting e 5 g standing hay then immediately subjecting the 5 the like comprising the steps of cutting the stand n A v n freshly cut whole plants to the action oi crushing mg hay, then immediately passing the cut stalks 4 1 l means throughout substantially -their entire n their whole condition through crushing or length to break down the plant cells and releasmashing means throughout substantially their ing Juices therefrom and then spreading said 10 entlre length to liberate and datum-t?- plant crushed plants upon the ground for sun or atmos- 10 cell juices over the crushed stalks, then spreading pixel-1c curing. the crushed stalks upon'the groundfor sun or I EVERE'1'1'B.CUSHMAN. 

